There’s a job opening in Dallas — and it could be filled internally.
Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont got the inevitable over with on Tuesday, dismissing general manager Nico Harrison nine months after he orchestrated the bombshell trade of beloved superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization,” Dumont said in a statement on Tuesday. “One that delivers for our players, our partners and most importantly, our fans.”
The Doncic deal has done seemingly irreparable damage to both the team and its fanbase, as Harrison left behind a franchise in complete free fall — one with an injury-plagued roster, a conference-worst offense and a brutal 3-8 record (14th in the West).
The question now is: Who’s going to clean up the mess?
Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi have taken over in the interim, but, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd could be in line for a promotion to the front office.
Mannix asserts that Kidd, who helped lift the Mavs to an improbable championship as a player and led them to the NBA Finals as a coach, remains in “good standing” with both ownership and the fanbase.
“His hands are (publicly, at least) clean in the Doncic deal,” Mannix added, “and no one is pointing fingers in his way for the flop of the Mavs’ injury-riddled roster.”
But would Kidd, who took the helm ahead of the 2021-22 season, even want the new position?
Mannix entertains the affirmative.
“Probably, people who know Kidd say,” he wrote. “Kidd has craved input in personnel decisions at previous stops. And while he has come into his own as a coach in Dallas, a rebuild around [Cooper] Flagg is inevitable. Better to oversee it from an executive office than the coach’s box.”
There’s also a chance that a potential Kidd promotion could open the door for Dirk Nowitzki to return to the franchise in a leadership role, Mannix proposed.
There’s no telling how Kidd, who’s been coaching since his Hall of Fame playing career came to an end in 2013, would perform in a front office role — but his reputation among the fanbase could help inject some optimism into a franchise that desperately needs it.
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